Training operators on desktop simulators is an excellent method for familiarizing new personnel with their power plant’s operations and eccentricities. However, for those looking for a more life-like approach to simulation training, WSC is proud to offer the GlassTop Touch Screen Simulator, powered by 3KEYTOUCH™. 3KEYTOUCH™ provides an experience closely replicating that of the hard panel simulators, at a fraction of the cost, and offers unique capabilities not available or conducive to a desktop simulator environment. Instructors and students are able to perform an assortment of tasks without needing a hard panel simulator, including:

A single 3KEYTOUCH™ Simulator consists of a structure with two 46'' LCDs using optical touch screen overlays and one 46'' LCD to resemble a typical main control room panel. The touch-enabled LCDs are mounted on the lower sections of the panel, while the non-touch screen LCD is mounted on the annunciator section. Panel graphics are displayed on the three LCDs and the touch screens allow for easy navigation from one panel to another. On the two lower LCDs, the panel graphics allow for interaction between the control room panel devices and the simulation models with the touch of a finger. Windows multi-touch gesturing capabilities (zoom and pan) are provided as well as voice-activated commands for navigation. WSC also introduced the "Worldview” concept in a 3KEYTOUCH™ unit which allows a user to view the general status of the unit including any alarming occurring on any panel in the control room. The 3KEYTOUCH™ "Worldview” allows a user to jump to any section of the panel with one touch of the screen.

Duke Energy, H.B. Robinson Nuclear Power Plant is undergoing a major plant upgrade to replace their existing turbine controls with a new distributed control system (DCS). To provide a means to train the plant operators on the new DCS prior to the system implementation in the plant, Duke Energy contracted WSC to provide what is being coined as a Control Room GlassTop Simulator (CRGTS). The CRGTS will utilize WSC’s 3KEYTOUCH™ platform and include all control room panels replicated with soft panel graphics displayed on 6 point multi-touch monitors.

The simulator is full-scale, using glasstop touch-sensitive panels which are instaled into real control room panels to digitally display the analog control boards found in existing plants

The present installation features 15 glasstop panels that are linked together, uniquely achieving a complete control room representation.

To replicate the control room panels as closely as possible, multiple monitor sizes ranging from 10” to 46” are being used so panel sizes and angles, in the case of bench boards and annunciator sections, match the actual sizes as closely as possible. To provide the most realistic environment for the new DCS areas of the panels, the exact same equipment (monitors, touch pad and keyboard) will be outfitted into the panels. The simulation software load will be identical to the latest release of the training load for the full scope hard panel simulator, which will include a virtual implementation of the turbine control DCS.

Although the CRGTS is initially targeted for operator training on the new DCS equipment, the control room GlassTop simulator can be used in other applications including DCS logic and control validation, JPM development and verification, Just-In-Time Practice, examination development, procedure development and verification, HFE design, auxiliary plant operator familiarization, emergency planning, as well as classroom instruction.